Flexible pipe-coupling.



G. :1I-ROYER. FLEXIBLE PIPE OOUPLING. APPLICATION FILED JAH. 1.6, 1907-BBNEWED AUG. 13, 1908.

l Patented Mar. 23, 1909.

ll-il Esi 'UNITEDY STATES PATENT OFFICEe GEORGE F. ROYER, OFWILKES-BARRE, PENNSYLVANIA.

FLEXIBLE PIPE-COUPLING.

`Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 23, 1909.

Application filed January 16, 1907, Serial No. 352,649. Renewed August13, 1908. Serial No. l148,381.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE F. ROYER, a citizen ofthe United States, anda resident of Vvrilkes-Barre, county of Luzerne, and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inFlexible Pipe- Couplings, of which the following is a speci-` alongitudinal sectional view through a coupling constructed in accordancewith the invention; Fig. 2 is an elevation of one of the coupling heads;Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view, on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing, it will be seen that the coupling comprisestwo heads 1, 2, in which are respectively formed fiuid passages, 3, 4and an intermediate sleeve 5- which is connected by suitable ball andsocket joints with said heads, the parts being held together by aflexible connection extending from one head to the other and passingthrough the sleeve.

As shown, the heads 1, 2 are each provided with a threaded section 6, bymeans of which they may be connected to the pipes to be joined, and theenlarged, semi-spherical members 7 ofthe ball and socket joints betweenthe sleeve 5 and said heads extend into suitable seats formed at oneend'ofthe fiuid passages 3, 4. Within said seats and surrounding theball members 7 are arranged suitable packing rings 9 in the inner faceof each of which is formed an annular groove 11 that communicates with aduct extending through the coupling head and normally closed by aremovable plug 12. Through such duct and channel 11 any necessarylubricant may be readily applied to the ball and socket l joint betweenthe sleeve 5 and coupling head. The coupling heads are connected byflexible connection extending' through the sleeve 5 and comprising twocoupling pins 13, 14, engaging respectively the head 2 and a spring 15in the head 1, and being themselves connected either by a chain 16 or asection of wire rope or cable 17 The pin 13 I l` extends through anaperture in a plate or l disk 13, which is provided on one face withV-shaped or knife-edge bearing lugs 19 that rest against a spider 20within the head 2, and the head 21 of said pin is provided with asimilar bearing against the plate 18. It will be seen that the bearingsbetween the spider 20 and plate 18, and between the latter and the pin13, extend at right angles to each other, thus securing a maximum amountof freedom of motion between the head 2 and the connecting means.

An important feature of the present invention is that the spring 15 isnot arranged within the fluid passage through the coupling, but isentirely within a chamber 22 formed in the head 1, at one side of andindependent ofthe passage 3 therein, from which it is separated by apartition 23. The chamber 22 extends through the outer face of thecoupling head, being closed at that end by a removable cap 24.

The coupling pin 14 extends through an aperture in the partition 23 andinto the lchamber 22, the end thereof within said chamber being threadedand surrounded by the spring 15. A nut 25 is screwed upon said threadedend of the pin 14 and forces a disk 26 against the outer end of thespring. By means of said nut the extent of compression of the spring maybe readily varied to suit the particular conditions under which thecoupling is to be employed.

The operation and advantages of the coupling will be readily understoodand appreciated. By arranging the spring 15 Within a separate andindependent chamber and not in the fiuidpassage, it is protected fromthe fluid passing through the coupling and the tension thereof may alsobe readily varied if desired, without disconnecting any member of thecoupling. By this arrangement the spring may act as a governor orregulator for controlling the pressure within the coupling and pipesconnected thereby. For example if it is desired that the fluid pressurewithin the Asystem shall not exceed say pounds, the nut 25 may beadjusted to cause the spring to exert such force on the coupling thatthe members thereof will be held in close connection and the ball andsocket joints between the sleeve and coupling heads will be fluid tight.should be increased above that desired, the force of the spring will beovercome and the If, however, the pressure coupling members allowed toseparate and the fluid passage therebT brought into communication withthe atmosphere.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

l. The herein described flexible pipe coupling comprising two heads,each provided with a fluid passage, a sleeve arranged between said headsand connecting' the fluid passages therein, and a flexible connectionbetween said heads and extending through said sleeve, said connectionincluding a spring ling compriising two heads adapted to be en-4 gagedwith the pipes to be connected and each having a fluid passage extendingthrough it, a sleeve arranged between and connecting the fluid passagesin said heads, one of said heads having formed therein a chamber whichis separated from the fluid passage by a transverse partition, a springarranged within said chamber, and means extending through theintermediate sleeve and connecting said spring with the other couplinghead.

4l. The herein described flexible pipe coupling comprising two headsadapted to be engaged with the pipes to ber connected and each having afluid passage extending through it, a sleeve arranged between. andconnecting the fluid passages in said heads, a spring within one of saidheads, an apertured plate mounted to rock within the other head, acoupling pin extending through said plate and having at one end a headbearing thereon to rock about an axis at right angles to that onwhichthe plate rocks, and means connecting said pin with the spring in theother head of the coupling.

5. The herein described flexible pipe coupling comprising two heads,each provided ith a fluid passage, a sleeve connected by ball and socketjoints with said heads and forming a continuation of the fluid passagestherein, a flexible connection between said heads including a springarranged within a chamber formed in one of the heads and independent ofthe fluid passage, and means within said chamber for adjusting thetension of said spring.

6. The herein described flexible pipe coupling comprising two heads eachhaving a fluid passage therethrough, and one of said heads having formedtherein at one side of its fluid passage a chamber that opens throughthe outer face of the head, a sleeve connecting the fluid passages inthe heads, a coiled spring arranged within said chamber in one of thecoupling-heads and bearing against the portion of the head thatseparates said chamber from the fluid passage in the head, a couplingpin extending through the spring and the partition separating saidchamber from the fluid passage, and pro-` vided with means for engagingthe outer end of the spring, and means connecting said pin with theother coupling head.

7 In a pipe coupling, the combination of two heads, a sleeve arrangedbetween and having its ends extending inte seats in said heads, meansconnecting said members and permitting free rotary movement of the headsrelative to the sleeve, each having formed therein a duct that extendsfrom the outer surface thereof to the seat for the end of saidv sleeve,and a packing ring arranged. within each of said seats about the sleeveand having formed in its inner face a groove or channel thatcommunicates with the aforesaid duct in the head.

ln testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE F. ROYER.

Witnesses JOHN Y. ODONNELL, EDWARD N. NoLL.

